The Fall into Our Darkness
by Kuronohime
Summary: In the final battle against Naraku, Inuyasha gets severely wounded. In order for his body to heal, his demon side surfaces and Inuyasha is taken over. Can Kagome's love salvage the human remains trapped in the darkness? A hurtful romance seeks for the light.
1. Chapter 1

" _I want to stay with you, Inuyasha."_

With those words long ago, Kagome had promised to stay by the half demon's side bearing the knowledge that his love belonged to his past love Kikyo, and to Kikyo only. The bond between Inuyasha and the deceased priestess was unselfish, sacrificing and above all - unconditional. Not to be broken by anyone or anything. The strength of their love carried them beyond life, beyond death even. He had vowed to follow the love of his life into the deepest depths of hell. Kagome was in no position to deny him this decision even when her heart had been broken by it. But even if bleeding, her heart could not stop caring for him. She had stayed by his side and with horror awaited the day he was to redeem his vow to follow Kikyo into hell.

Finally the day came when Kikyo's worldly journey came to an end. It was like for a moment the earth ceased from revolving and everything stood still. At that time, the half-demon's world had collapsed. Kagome could still feel the bitter lump in her throat as she reminisced the vision of Inuyasha holding a fragile body in his arms against the pale shine of twilight. For hours he didn't move, just remained in the same position holding the priestess gently to his chest, caressing her hair ever so softly. In the final minutes of her life, she reached for his tear-streaked face and smiled. Inuyasha bent down and pressed his lips against hers in a kiss that was full of love, ache and regret. He was enveloped by a bright light and she was finally gone, to eternal rest.

Kikyo's passing had had a deep impact on Inuyasha. For a long time, he was depressed and secluded, only his vindictiveness towards Naraku gave his existence a meaning.

But even during the darkest of his hours and in the deepest of his grief, there shimmered a hope.

Hurt, little by little, transformed into wistfulness, which blossomed into hope. Inuyasha was finally allowed to see Kagome, truly – without the remorse of knowing his love was intended for another. His burden had been lifted; Inuyasha was finally free to love Kagome. He had been resolved, by Kikyo, from his duty to follow her into the afterlife and was free to be with Kagome.

That is if only faith hadn't decided differently.

Inuyasha's duty still laid upon unshackling the world from the darkness of the Shikon no Tama. And the demon, Naraku, that governed that dark power. In his final moments of existence, Naraku had managed to do his last deed of malevolence. He confined Kagome inside the cursed jewel before he departed this life.

The roar that echoed through the jewel's core was heard all over the netherworld. Inuyasha had brought down the darkness, but with a heavy price. Tessaiga was shattered and Inuyasha so badly hurt that his half-human body was unable to repair itself. But perhaps the greatest loss was to his humanity. Moments before he had gathered all his remaining strength to destroy the jewel with his demonic blow, Inuyasha's demon side surfaced. The fact that it had was probably the only reason keeping him from the gates of afterlife. His true demon strength allowed him to hang on to the threads of life long enough for Kagome to help him return to Sengoku Jidai.

And that is where one fate diverges.

* * *

Inuyasha had been unconscious for days, perhaps a week by then. Kagome dutifully remained by his side. The first thing the young priestess had attempted to do on the battlefield, where she initially discovered Inuyasha maimed body, was to try and heal his wounds with her powers. She had held her trembling hand on his body, but where it should have healed him, it only inflicted more damage. Later, the elderly priestess and Kagome's mentor, Kaede, had suspected that it was because Kagome's powers consisted of the purest form of reiki whereas Inuyasha had been succumbed to the darkness of his demonic side. His darkness could not take in her light and she was unable to heal him.

Kaede had done all she could to help the poor half-demon. Even the rest of Inuyasha's friends did everything they could, as well. Miroku prayed for his revival and Sango was travelling all of Japan to find anything to help him heal. Still Inuyasha showed no signs of recovery. During the span of days, his wounds had barely healed and the only thing providing solace to Kagome was his shallow breathing. As long as he breathed Kagome would refuse to think of the worse. But she feared if Inuyasha did not wake up soon, his body wouldn't survive without nourishment for much longer in that condition. Only thing that kept him going was his demon strength and the little bit of water Kagome managed to get pass his lips now and then.

* * *

Once again Kaede found Kagome asleep by Inuyasha's sickbed when entering the little hut where Inuyasha had been carried from the battlefield. The boy hadn't been moved since and the air in the room was heavy - reeking of blood and rot.

Kaede lowered a little bowl of food next to Kagome on the floor. The aged priestess hoped that despite the recent loss of the young woman's appetite she would still manage to eat something. A broken heart was evident on the girl's withering face and figure. Kaede feared what would become of young Kagome if Inuyasha lost the battle over his life.

The old priestess sighed and leaned to press her hand on Inuyasha's forehead. The fever had gone down which either was a good sign - or a very bad sign. For Kagome's sake, she hoped that the hanyou was finally pulling through.

* * *

It was on one of the long nights when Kagome could not sleep and instead spent her waking hours by Inuyasha's bed. She didn't find the strength to face her friends as of late. Couldn't take the pitying looks they gave her. As if they were all expecting her to start mourning Inuyasha, accepting the half-demon's inevitable demise. But his body wasn't cold yet. So, she could not surrender her hope, but spent all her time by the injured man.

Inuyasha was in a deep sleep and Kagome watched as his eyes moved behind the closed lids. She knew he would wake up as soon as his body had recovered enough. His cranium hadn't suffered any grave injuries and he was evidently cognitional since he could still dream. There was nothing that kept him from waking neurologically speaking, as far as she understood.

Kagome traced the long, magenta stripes on his cheeks with her finger. The demon in him would be able heal him, she assured herself. She would not lose him. She could not lose him.

"You know, Inuyasha", Kagome whispered tentatively to him, "It's been pretty boring here without you."

Kagome wiped a lonely stray of his hair away from his face and continued, "Everything's so quiet now. I still have a hard time adjusting to the thought that we will not be going on shard hunts anymore. Every morning I wake up, I still expect to hear your voice telling me to drag my sorry ass to God knows where to h-hunt after s-shards..."

Kagome swallowed and tried to stop her voice from breaking. She carefully reached for Inuyasha's hand and lifted it up. She nudged her face against his palm. She closed her eyes and deeply breathed in his scent. She could still sense his fragrance under the darker tones of blood and dirt. He smelled of deep forest and grass after the rain.

She squeezed his hand tightly. "You are a real pain in the ass for making everyone worry over you. You big brat. Who's going to give me a hard tim-"

She couldn't continue. Tears flowed down her face to her chin and to Inuyasha's hand. It was the first time she had allowed herself to cry since the last battle with Naraku. She cradled herself against Inuyasha's lifeless hand and gave gentle kisses on his clammy skin.

She wasn't ready to say goodbye. Not like this.

Not like this.

* * *

Warmness surrounded Inuyasha in a place far away. It was summer there. Pleasantly fragrant breezes caressed his hair, rivers gushed nearby and tree branches swayed above him. He had never been in this place, but it still felt so comforting and familiar. But something made his ears twitch. A soft voice. It called out to him beyond a field of flowers. He wanted to stay there where everything was so peaceful. He felt no misery of his former life burden him. All his memories of past hardships were gone. But the voice, heartbroken, called for him. Inuyasha looked at the field. He wanted to stay, but…There was someone he wanted to see again.

He approached the sound. It was there, at the edge of the field. A woman. She was waiting for him.

Inuyasha reached out his hand, trying to graze the apparition. So beautiful, so sad. Something stopped him, pulled him back. He tried to fight his way to her, but a power, sinister power, grabbed a hold of him. It filled the air around him, constricted his chest and distorted his vision.

The girl midst the flowers turned to look at him. Wide brown eyes stared at him.

Then everything turned black.

* * *

His eyes flashed open. But where there should have been two amber eyes, in the dimness of the dawn, there glistened a pair of crimson orbs. The orbs dashed from left to right, trying to make out a picture of where he was. Everything was foreign and hazy to his senses. Head splitting pain rummaged through his brain and obscured his vision. He could only hear the din of his pulse in his ears. Not much besides the sickening pain was he able to feel. But somehow through his state of haze he could sense a heartbeat that was not his own.

Kagome weakly petted Inuyasha's hand and turned her tired eyes to him. When Kagome noticed his eyes were squinting at the ceiling, she hardly believed it first. She had been without sleep for so long that it could have been just her exhausted mind beguiling her to see wistful dreams. But after a few moments of blinking in disbelief, it sank into her realization. He was awake! The girl was so overjoyed with happiness she blindly grabbed his hand and held it to her cheek, oblivious to a disturbing transformation.

Kagome closed her eyes and whispered incoherent chants of gratitude while failing to see how the demon's other hand clenched close. The red orbs slowly registered his surroundings and his gaze focused on the offensive intruder having the nerve to grapple him. The claws on the demon's hands grew longer, oozing sickly green acid, as he languidly opened his fist. He was waiting for the human to move closer so he could slash her face open since he had not enough strength to reach out so far. As the demon was patiently waiting, something wet trickled down the back of his hand that was caressed by that woman. Tears glistened on her face and the demon could finally make out a full sentence in between her unintelligible mumbling.

"I knew you would come back to me."


	2. Chapter 2

A village healer had been called to visit Inuyasha and she did just as so - bearing a batch of fresh bandages and herbs along with her. As the young half-demon had finally awoken and Kaede had been able to persuade Kagome to leave his side for some direly deeded sleep. The elder miko had assured her that Inuyasha was being taken care of while she rested. The girl had become almost as withered as the man she guarded. Resignedly Kagome complied.

The healer laid down her supplies and hummed a jolly tune while she cleaned around the hut. Cleanliness and fresh air were important for any patient, human or otherwise. Most people in the village were wary of the half-demon, half-man, but the healer had known a many hanyoos and demons in her days. Not all of them were bad. And what an honor it was to be called upon to take care of the hero of their village – the man who had rid them of the scourge of Naraku. Happier days laid ahead, she thought. Finally the people would be at rest, not having to fear bewildered demons running amok. No evil lurked in the shadows of the twilight anymore. The light-hearted crooning continued as the woman in her mid-40's pottered around.

The demon was stirred from its shallow sleep by an annoying sound coming from the room. It cracked open one eyelid and soon caught the source of the noise. Its claws instinctively grew in length and it slowly closed its eye again. Once that old hag would be within his reach, it would snap her neck like a twig.

The healer set aside a battered broom and turned around to observe the patient that lay on the futon. He looked so peaceful in his slumber. The older woman smiled and tentatively bent closer to brush off a curl of hair that had stuck to his clammy cheek. Her fingertips were mere inches off his face when she felt a twinge on her throat. Two murderous red orbs glared from below at the woman and the front of her dress was getting soaked by blood that was gushing out of her throat. The healer gurgled and stepped back. She was trampled by the broom and reeled down on the floor. The demon swiftly leaped off the futon and approached her slowly. The terrified woman pressed down on the wound on the throat and her bewildered eyes darted back and forth between the door and the demon.

The bloodthirsty beast took another crawling step towards its prey, but suddenly its eyes turned hazy. Intuitively, its hand searched to its side. The gaping wound there had reopened and blood was leaking out in abundance. The edges of the world were disappearing. In one last attempt, its blurry eyes tried to seek out the woman. She had frozen in fear, her hand clawing along the floor for the door. Unable to do anything but stare at her predator with the looming knowledge that she had nowhere to go. She could not outrun a demon. But suddenly the bloody orbs lost their focus on their surroundings and the demon collapsed on the floor with a hard thud. The healer heard nothing, but her own frantic panting. Blood dribbled between the fingers pressed against her throat. When she was sure the demon would not rise anymore, she dashed out screaming as loud as her maimed throat allowed.

* * *

Kaede could not dare to disturb the slumber of her exhausted protegee even though the news of the demon attacking the village healer were grave. The elder miko wanted to believe that it all had been a horrible misunderstanding, but upon inspecting the wounds on the healer, she feared the worst. But maybe it just had been the half-demon's stupor where he thought he was still fighting Naraku and attacked the healer in ill-witted self-protection.

All attempts to see the situation as a misfortunate accident were, however, crushed when Kaede herself visited the perpetrator.

It was no man anymore. Whatever that creature was that calmly rested, still greatly wounded, in the dark corner in its temporary dwelling, it had no remnants of human in it. Kaede was quickly repelled by the violent dark aura that surrounded that thing; she left - taking the basin of water with her she had intended to give to Inuyasha. The death and ruin in that room was too much for her to withstand.

* * *

Kagome had slept the day away, waking only when the cicadas had already begun to serenade, indicating the end of summer. She drowsed from her deep dreamless sleep, stretching her aching muscles, in the makeshift bed Kaede had made for her in the comfort of the elder miko's own lodging.

The young woman had barely roused when the aforementioned older woman entered the small room.

Kagome immediately remembered the events of the past day, shaking off quickly her tired daze.

"How is he doing?" She rushed to know and stood up from the futon.

Kaede kept quiet for a while, walking over to her hearth to kindle a smolder on the stone-lined fireplace. She glanced at Kagome, who was positively brimming with elation, trying to muster the will to crush the expectations of the waiting young woman.

"Dear..." The old woman sighed and poked around the coals. "I fret things are not well."

Dread settled in the pit of Kagome's stomach. Had something happened to Inuyasha? Had his condition taken a turn for worse just as she thought he was finally pulling through all of this.

"Is he okay?" She hastily demanded, trepidation unmasked in her voice.

Kaede hung her head low. Searching for words, her throat feeling tight.

"The lad is..." She looked at Kagome with her only eye, reaching for the girls hand, squeezing it in her own wrinkled one. "Inuyasha did not wake up."

Confusion twirled in the panicked mind of the young miko.

"Wha- What do you mean? I saw him. I saw him wake up!" She almost screamed in renewed despair of the past neverending days of praying for his recovery.

Kaede shook her head.

"Whatever roused from the sleep 'is body was in, it is not Inuyasha."

Kagome pulled her hand away and stepped back.

"I don't understand." The corners of her mouth curved downwards, like a child pouting, juddering lips compressed into a tight line.

Kaede placed a tea pot above the warmed hearth, looping the handle of it in a hook that was stringing from the creaky ceiling.

"Something else awoke in 'is place. Something that has nothing human in it. It attacked the village healer. The poor woman managed to escape with 'er life hanging just by a thread."

"No!" Kagome proclaimed. "It's a mistake... He'd never..." She trailed off, having wanted to protect his honor as the defender of the village and sustain the idea that he'd never purposefully hurt anyone. But, there had been a time in Inuyasha's life when he hadn't been as trusting towards humans as he now was. An outcast that shared a mutual hate towards the humans who shunned him. Getting into battles. He ever had tried to attack Kagome herself when they first met. When he had just woken from the 50 year sleep he'd been cursed into. But that was before. That was in a life where he hadn't had any friends, betrayed by love, denied of companionship. He had changed. He had people who cared for him now, who he cared about. If he truly had attacked someone innocent, it must've been because he was still disoriented and didn't know where he was. Inuyasha probably didn't even understand that Naraku had been defeated. His last memory must have been from the battleground with his fight against the evil demon lord.

Kagome steeled her eyes and held her chin up in defiance. "I know him. He'd never hurt anyone." She continued a bit more softly. "If he has, it must be because he's still very hurt. He doesn't know what has happened. If I had been there when he woke up, this would never have happened. He must be terrified."

Kaede knew Kagome held on to every shred of hope of getting her loved one back. The older woman had initially shared her sentiment. It was almost pointless trying to convince her of Inuyasha's current state.

"I know Inuyasha would not hurt anyone, Kagome. But it's not Inuyasha, that... _thing_ that has woken."

"If that is something the healer told you, then she's either lying or grossly mistook Inuyasha's actions."

Kaede tried to manage a word into the torrent of Kagome's speech, but failed. The young woman fervently continued.

"If she did something to startle him, and he acted upon instinct, surely she should have understood he didn't mean any harm." Her voice got louder as anger began to simmer within her chest. "Humans are still just prejudiced against him, just because he's a hanyoo. Despite everything he has given to protect them. Despite everything he has sacrificed to enable the secure lives of the people here."

"Kagome-"

"NO!" She trembled. "I will hear none of this! Not from _you_!"

Kagome slipped her pair of geta sandals on and scurried out of the house.

Tea would have to wait, Kaede mused.

 _'Poor girl.'_


	3. Chapter 3

"Inuyasha?" A tender voice called from the secluded entrance of the hut. The rundown door to the hut rattled in its railing as someone pushed the shoji to the side.

A familiar scent followed the voice as the visitor shut the door and approached him. The demon was too hurt and tired to open its eyes - let alone move from the mattress where it had managed to claw itself back. After having passed out cold on the floor when he had tried to get rid of the previous human intruder. But the one who came now, she carried a smell of something that was comforting. Like something from a childhood memory long since forgotten.

"Oh, Inuyasha." The voice nearly quivered. "They haven't even given you any water." He heard a soft thump as something clattered on the side of his futon.

"You need to drink a little." An unpleasant realization dawned upon the demon. This human wanted to nurse him. Like some pathetic weakling these humans seemed to think he was. They mocked his pride showing no sign of trepidation at his great presence. Foisting their good will and help unto him. Those insects, parasites, not the slightest bit aware how their wretched stench made him even sicker. He needed those creatures like kois needed tapeworms.

Unaware of his inner contempt, a cold hand snaked to the back of his sweaty neck. The cool touch against his spine felt admittedly... tolerable.

"Please, Inuyasha, just a sip." She pleaded, and the edge of some sort of ceramic container was pressed against his bottom lip.

He would be sure to avenge this desecrating treatment later, but for now... he allowed this ill-witted solicitude.

Kagome propped Inuyasha's head up with her other hand as she poised the water cup to his chapped, colorless lips. His skin felt clammy to her touch, he seemed still a bit feverish even though he was horrendously pale. The same exasperated despair she had felt earlier began to sink to her stomach. Why didn't Inuyasha open his eyes?

No matter, she shook her head mentally. He was conscious. He opened his mouth and drank. The young woman let out a breath she hadn't noticed had been withheld. Relief and concern danced within her chest, holding hands in scorn. Neither feeling relented. But Kagome decided to focus on that flickering sense of relief rather than worry. She had gotten him back.

The smell of iron and sweet rot wafted from Inuyasha's clothing when Kagome placed gently his head back. After her eyes had gotten accustomed to the dimness, she saw his bedding and clothes were covered in dried up blood. Some of it was still fresh apparent by the darkness of his drenched clothes.

She glanced at the corner of the room that had a pile of bandages, alcohol, a jar of anti-inflammatory lotion made from herbs among with some other supplies the healer had left behind.

"I need to check your wounds, Inuyasha." She said and removed herself from his bedside. She opened the only hatch of the hut to let in some of the dimming daylight. Then she went to pick up the supplies, rolling up her sleeves and pulling her hair into a tight bundle on top of her head.

The demon listened to her movements, realizing that this was the same woman who had been by his bedside when he woke up. The way she spoke his name... _Inuyasha_ was it? What a plebeian name, he thought in passing. This woman. Who was she? She acted very familiar towards him. Behind his eyelids, he sensed how light bled inside the room as the woman opened a hatch of some sort.

The wooden floor creaked under her feet and she knelt next to his side again, placing the supplies down alongside her.

"We need to clean you up, Inuyasha." She softly narrated to herself more than to him. The woman began unfastening his robes with no timidness or hesitation. Had it not been evident by her scent that she was unclaimed for, the demon would have assumed the way she was so easily intimate with him, told only of the carnal nature of their preceding relationship. Not that he cared. Whatever her relation to him had been before, now she served a different purpose. She was a caretaker and since he had nothing better to keep him occupied or amused in his current state, he allowed her the role.

And as much as he hated to admit his own depraved state, the attack he had tried against the previous healer had taxed his body greatly. He had become even more weakened and feverish than when he had first roused back to the mortal realm. He might have in fact been currently close to his demise. He hadn't eaten anything for _kami_ knew how long. He was without water and still bleeding when this woman came to him.

She would serve a purpose in helping him get back to his strength for now.

When she had opened his robes, she tried carefully as she could to peel the crusted fabric off the large wound on his side. He had an old bandage around his side but it had slipped off the wound. Inuyasha didn't even flinch, even though it must have burned intolerably, as she yanked last of the clothes off his wound. Those cool hands wondered over his ribs and his abs.

His eyes flashed open. Blood began to gush from his yet again opened wounds. Kagome was startled by the large, crimson orbs that stared at her like giant empty chasms. Blood red.

She gasped. Those possessed eyes drilled through her own, shaking her in their wake. But what most shook her, was their foreignness.

She steadied her hands and proceeded with cleaning his wounds. She poured alcohol in his rotting flesh and grabbed a clean cloth to rub and squeeze puss out of the gaping black hole just below his rib cage. She poured more alcohol in the wound and tried to flush it until all it was secreting was clear vibrant red.

"I'm sorry. I know this hurts." She murmured, too afraid to look into those eyes that showed not even a moderate discomfort when they should have been full of agony.

Whenever he looked at her, she felt profoundly cold. There was not a trace of affection left in his eyes or anything else human. His crimson gaze held a great amount of something dark and grave, animalistic, in it. He observed her movements like a well-fed fat cat lazily would watch the play of mice. Not needing to kill them for sustenance, but still more than ready to kill them simply for its own amusement.

The awareness of his transformation tingled on the skin of her arms and within her spine, but she suppressed that thought. To conceal her nervousness, she rambled out loud on whatever treatment she was currently doing to keep the eerie silence away. Even if it was basically her giving a monologue, because the demon never replied to her. She wasn't even sure if it understood what she said as it never made any sign of registering any of her chattering.

She had finished cleaning him up and applying the lotions, she went to put the empty jars and soiled bandages away. The miko came back to him and looked down at her handiwork - his stilled body that sprawled on the soiled futon. Her eyes studied his body for a very long time.

"I need to put the new bandages. I need you to sit up." She softly said and scooted her body next to him.

"Can you sit up for me, Inuyasha?" She asked, almost whispered.

Nothing moved in the blooded orbs of the demon, nothing but darkness.

"Please?" She begged, her voice starting to sound thick with emotion, her head hanging low.

His hand twitched. Kagome's chin shot up. His hand moved upwards, slowly. He was inching his elbow up along his healthy side. He was trying to prop himself up by his better side.

"Yes, just like that!" She fought back a squeal and cleared her throat. "Here, let me help you."

Her arms wrapped themselves around his half-propped trunk and she pulled him into a slouching sitting position. The demon growled, and gritted its teeth.

She guided his hands around her own upper body for some awkward support for the while she fumbled with the bandages. She pulled down his clothes first, making him completely bare from the waist up.

The demon rested its cheek on the juncture of her neck and shoulder. Her fingers worked fast and efficiently around him, but avoided greatly to cause him any pain. _He hated her_.

His nose and mouth were pressed against her pulse. He was too sick and hurt to even turn his head. He gripped to her like an infant would its mother. His hands grabbed her harder since the position was making him lightheaded. He would very soon pass out. The rake of his claws pressed against her spine made the tiniest breath hitch in her throat.

He noticed it; he could feel her swallow as his own lips were pressed against her throat. Her scent which was entirely too close to him aggravated him. It tried to evoke a memory of something. Something that came very close but escaped him just as he was about to grab it. The lights outside died, or maybe his own vision had dwindled. He didn't know for certain but he could no longer see anything. Just darkness. And in that darkness, he smelled her. Her warmth wrapped around him; her heart raced against his.

He moved his lips against her pulse, as if trying to say something, but all he managed to produce was a groan.

He must've passed out at that point since the next thing he came to, was him laying on his futon. He was covered by the haori of her priestess uniform. A voice came from somewhere.

"It's night-time. I'll leave you to get some rest for now. But tomorrow I'll get you new beddings." A twinge of sorrow, maybe guilt, coated her words. "You can't sleep in this filth another night."

A rustle. The soji door opened and a beam of silver moonlight enveloped her figure at the doorway.

"You'll be hopefully better enough tomorrow to maybe eat some ramen." A touch of mirth in her sorrowful voice. She left, closing the soji. Leaving him in the darkness once again. With an imprint of her moonlit caressed features and those impossibly big eyes to keep him company in the darkness.

 _How he hated her_.

***

 **A/N: I'm sorry for the short initial chapters! The chapters will become longer after I've established the "mood" for the story.**


	4. Chapter 4

The demon waited for sunrise. It lost the track of time, falling into sleepless unconsciousness until jerked back into awareness by a sound, a smell or the rippling pain throughout his whole body. The cycle repeated until the small creeks between the boarding of the hut wept light. The birds chirped out somewhere.

' _Where is that wench._ ' He impatiently awaited.

Its clawed fingers caressed pensively her haori that served as a makeshift blanket. Her scent surrounded him through his dreamless darkness, providing him with unwanted comfort.

He was aware that he was suffering from some sort of amnesia. He could not remember anything of his life prior to the moment he woke to her tears.

However, he knew the basic facts of life. A fire burned, water was wet, winter came with snow and day followed night. Of himself, he knew nothing. He had a vague feeling of certain things. He had no family. He was aloof. He was a warrior, a fighter. Powerful.

What he was certain of was that he had been injured in a great battle. And that he was a demon. The girl was a human. She was a maiden, so she wasn't his lover – even though she very much acted like one. Perhaps they had been in some sort of romantic involvement that would have progressed into more physical realm had he not been injured.

But what a repulsive thought, he shuddered. What kind of self-respecting demon lord would sully themselves with breeds of lower standing. Preposterous, he huffed to himself.

' _But what is taking her so long?_ '

* * *

Kagome spent her night in much the same unease as Inuyasha.

His eyes haunted her still. Those lifeless, empty red voids.

But it was still him. Inuyasha. It had to be. He was hurt, teetering on the edge of his life. It was not the first time his demon side had surfaced to save him. A protective instinct. But once he was in the clear, he'd come back to his senses. Like he always had, she assured herself.

' _I'll save him. I have to._ ' Kagome thought and waited until it was light enough for her to begin her day.

* * *

Kagome was garnering supplies for Inuyasha, like the new futon, more medicine and clothing. Kaede voiced her concerns about Kagome's efforts. Not stating it straight, but implying that her endeavors might be futile. What the older woman had seen in the young man had been damage beyond repair.

Kagome brushed her off, stating that Inuyasha had made absolutely no gesture to harm her. He wasn't dangerous. He wasn't _harmful_.

Kaede sighed. She knew she could not sway the young woman from her opinion.

"Allow me to get him some water while you get the remaining supplies off your list." She offered. A friendly gesture on the outside, but in truth, the older wanted to see him for herself. Re-evaluate his situation once more.

"Of course." Kagome answered and beamed a smile.

* * *

Kaede entered the hut, not announcing herself. As she slid the door open to the side, a nauseating, impenetrable foul stench almost knocked her out. Blood was heavy in the air. It reminded her of the days of her youth that she had spent at the hospices caring for young men wounded in the war.

She gathered her spirits and took one step inside the room.

It took her a moment to adjust her eyes to the dimness. In the corner of the room, glistened two red orbs. Eyes of an animal. No, not an animal. These eyes were filled with malice, unlike the eyes of an innocent animal. These eyes wished nothing but death and demise to whoever entered its lair. A deep unrest settled within her.

"Inuyasha?" She carefully called out.

Her call was answered by a guttural, deep growl. The sound rumbled in the air.

"Do not fret... I only came to bring you some water." She tried to offer, but the looming threat of violence halted her at the doorway.

This thing was unhuman. Dangerous and sinister.

Unable to withstand the atmosphere for any longer, Kaede turned on her heels, taking the flask of water with her. She had enough self-preservatory instinct to get out of there.

She could not help Kagome aid her ward, or rather bedlamite. How the thing had not attacked Kagome, was beyond Kaede's reasoning. If there was an inkling of humanity buried within Inuyasha, it was indeed very deep and only reserved for Kagome.

* * *

Some days passed. The beast allowed no one else to its proximity but Kagome whose scent had grown to be secure to it, even comforting, much to its dislike. But even as Kagome was cleaning its wounds and changing the bandages of a seemingly weak and sickly man, she knew that one slash of its claws was enough to kill her instantly. It could never be caught off-guard.

Most of all, she was deeply haunted by his unfeeling eyes.

On another late evening, Kagome wiped down the beads of fever off its forehead. Kagome had tried to deny it. Had tried not to see it. Tried to convince herself that the feeling of unfamiliarity was only due to his sickness. But as she sat next to Inuyasha's futon during the last hour of daylight, even she could no more see anything human in his daunting red eyes which calmly, cruelly, observed her.

He had not spoken a word to her. He drank and he ate, usually complied when she requested him to change position to clean and tend to his wound. But not much else. He didn't smile, he didn't complain. Not a smidgen of humanity graced his features. No emotion escaped the stoic mask he wore on his face.

But he had been like this before. She had brought him back then. She still loved him and she could convey that same love to him again. She looked at him, the eyes that watched her continuously. She was sure that the only reason he hadn't died after Naraku's attack was because of her. He remained in his earthly shell, because of her. He loved her enough to linger to the tender thread of his life.

She moistened his lips with a damp cloth and tentatively brushed her thumb across his bottom lip. He had regained some of his natural color back to his skin and lips, and he didn't look like a living corpse anymore. He was making progress, she comforted herself.

The demon slanted its eyes. Her caressing finger burned him. The demon despised every touch she caressed him with. It was demeaning for him to lay still and be petted like a pathetic pet puppy. He compressed his lips to a tight line. He wanted to punish the mortal for her audacity. Had he had any more strength, he would have slashed her. To put her in her place. A demon lord was not a plush toy.

And he absolutely hated how her hands felt soothing, so much they could lull him to sleep. He was furious of how by every of her touch he grew greedy for more. He wanted to have more of her fingers, her palms, running along his face and his body. He almost wanted to whimper when she pulled her hand away from his skin.

He glared at her angrily. How dare she touch him. How dare she _stop_ touching him.

The young woman was blissfully unaware of the inner turmoils of the demon as she was struggling with her own.

She had taken care of him for almost a week now, and although his physical condition had improved slightly, his mental state had remained as exclusive from the rest of the world as it had been since he had awoken.

Inuyasha seemed to be wrapped within himself.

This was the moment Kagome decided to take a chance, play all her cards.

The young human girl knelt next to the demon's bed. It eyed her with indifference mixed with a slightest hint of curiosity. Kagome placed her hand on its cheek, but the demon remained unmoved. Its eyes never left hers as she moved. Kagome mustered up her courage and leaned in to press her lips against the demon's. She trembled. Her soft lips enveloped its, but the demon kept still. Her lips lingered on its mouth, but the demon did not react in any manner. Kagome slowly removed herself from him and gazed the half demon. Cold, red eyes kept staring at her. The girl swallowed down a painful lump. She stumbled backwards, harsh rejection smiting her from the heavens above.

She had tried to nurse and help him. She had stayed awake by his bedside even when utterly exhausted herself. She had defended him against all those who doubted him. And most of all, she had never stopped loving him. She loved him so much it hurt. But he returned none of her touches. Spoke nothing. Almost like he didn't even know who she was. Had she become as foreign to him as he had to her?

Kagome scrambled up and ran out of the hut. Not looking back, leaving the door half ajar. She almost tripped at her feet, blinded by the blur of her tears as she hurried past all huts that were next to Inuyasha's. She ran all the way to the edge of the forest. She slumped down and wept heart-brokenly. It was the first time she cried of the fact of losing Inuyasha.

* * *

After Kagome had left, the demon kept still, staring at the ceiling. A convulsion raked his body. The demon's whole body was burning, his blood felt like it was thick, bubbling tar. He weakly reached out to touch his lips. Unbearably soft hers had been.

"Ka-go-me…"

* * *

 **A/N: So, the preliminary chapters are done. After this, the story will really kick into gear and start. But a fair warning my dear readers – this is not a HEA (happily ever after) story.**

 **If you're looking for more lighthearted smutty fluff (you ain't kidding me, of course you are), then go check my other stories! I have METRIC TONNES of short, lemony stories of Inuyasha with... happier outcomes.**


	5. Chapter 5

"Sesshoumaru-sama! Sesshoumaru-sama!"

A small imp scurried from a distance, a disproportionately large wooden shaft bobbing up and down in its grasp in the horizon as it ran. The imp's snarly echoing voice alerted its approach to a twosome that was currently enjoying a peaceful afternoon by a river. A small human girl and her inu youkai guardian turned their attention to the direction of the calls.

"Oh, Jaken-sama is back!" The girl, Rin, got up from the bank and dusted flower petals off her lap.

"Jaken-sama!" Rin called the small imp back and waved at him impatiently, like the happy-go-lucky child that she was.

The addressed inu youkai, Sesshoumaru, discreetly snagged a flower garland off his head – the past time creation of his small ward. He allowed her this folly privately, but didn't care for his underlings to be privy to the extent the great dog demon lord sustained privileges to his ward concerning his person.

Sesshoumaru nimbly swirled the wildflower garland behind his back as the small imp reached them.

"Sess- Sesshoumaru-s- sama." Jaken, the imp, huffed and leaned his waned upper body against his trusty shaft.

The lord gave his underling but the mildest, most unnoticeable twitch of an eyebrow to express his impatience to the news.

Jaken swallowed down his out-of-breathness and wiped beads of perspiration off his forehead to his sleeve.

"Inuyasha, Lord Sesshoumaru, your brother, has awoken. That is the last news I head from the village before my departure."

Sesshoumaru looked as indifferent to the news as if Jaken had just reported the number of fingers he had, but their young companion squealed in joy.

"Oh, Jaken-sama! That is wonderful news! I knew he wouldn't die!" She almost screamed with relief. "Oh, how happy this must make Kagome-sama!" Rin clapped her hands together and hugged her arms against her chest.

"He will be alright, I know-"

"Ahem." Jaken interrupted the joyous outburst of the human girl, just in time before it wore out the patience of their lord. "As for the other matter of business you send me out for, my liege..." Jaken continued, a bit more nervously as always when bringing his master news he knew would be ill-received.

"I could not locate Totosai, I-I'm sorry, milord!" He blurted out and bowed his head.

The jawline on Sesshoumaru's face tightened ever so slightly, indicating that Jaken was teetering on the edge of upcoming disciplinary measures.

Small droplets of sweat trickled down on the nervous imp's face.

"B-but I did, h-however, gather information on Tenseiga."

The imp knew he was in for violence for the next piece of news, but he was worse off if even attempting to withhold this information.

"It cannot be repaired. The damage done by Naraku's youki has created irrevocable harm to the integrity of your father's tooth. Even if forged whole again, it will no longer maintain its previous powers." Jaken closed his eyes, still in a deep bow, waiting for the hurt to come.

"No! Sesshoumaru-sama! Bad Sesshoumaru-sama!" An angelic voice, so innocent and pure, rang a bell of mercy and halted Sesshoumaru's hand from striking down the messenger.

"It is not Jaken-sama's fault that your sword can't be fixed. Don't act up like a child!"

When the immediate danger of physical harm subsided, Jaken had to try his hardest to bite down unto his lip and contain his urge to laugh. Since Naraku's abolition, Sesshoumaru was now the most powerful youkai in all the known realms. Truly a great lord. Unrivaled in strength, unbeatable strategist and without an equal in gracefulness and, of course, in appearances. Yet, scolded like a pup by a little, simple human girl.

"I am able to hear your gaiety that of which you attempt to conceal from me by biting upon your own lip." Sesshoumaru warned his green minion and Jaken reflectively tensed his buttocks.

"Now, take to you Ah-Un, for your next errand to be accomplished in greater haste. Find Totosai, without fail." Sesshoumaru gave out the last part of his instructions in the most grave and pompous note only he could hit. "He is to forge me weapon anew - one that is unexcelled and inimitable. This task is of utmost importance and you shall not return prior to its completion."

Jaken's heart swelled in his chest, tears glistened in his eyes for the honor bestowed upon him. He was to bring his master his new sword, one that was even mightier than Tenseiga or the Tessaiga.

"I'll be on my way right away, Sesshoumaru-sama!" Jaken declared and jogged backwards towards the place Ah-Un was currently resting. "You can count on me! I will not fail you, milord!" The imp swore and turned to ran off.

"Be safe, Jaken-samaaa!" Rin hollered to the retreating figure of the small, green demon.

When Jaken was out of demonic earshot, already riding the blue canvas of the sky, Sesshoumaru turned his attention back at his human ward.

"You, Rin." He began with a reprimanding tone. "Never must you forget that you do not govern this Sesshoumaru." He was about to get into a longer admonition, but the girl already ran further away along the bank to a new patch of wild flowers.

"Oh, how pretty!" She chirped happily at the bed of _sumire_ s growing in dense groups.

"These will look even prettier in your hair!" The little girl sang and proceeded in picking them up into a big bouquet.

The demon lord looked at his busy little human protege. A smile of defeat tugged the corner of his mouth. 

* * *

**A/N: Yeah, yeah. I know that is canonish that Sesshoumaru eventually intented to marry Rin once she grew up. (This was revealed in a drama CD, not in any official Takahashi work. Hence "canonish".)**

 **I just don't see it happening. Rin taught Sesshoumaru a great deal about love – about compassion, friendship; the truest, purest form of love. Not the smexy smexy kinda love ya'll read fanfiction for.**

 **I cannot see Sesshoumaru as anything else but a father figure to Rin, even though I'm totally into the whole "young girl meets a mature man, girl falls in love, they spend time apart, and once the girl is all grown up and they reconcile, the man starts to have the tinglies for her blossomed womanhood in return" -trope. But not in this case. No. Nah. Nope.**

 **Anyway. Sorry it's been so long. Sorry this chapter was short. This chapter marks the beginning of our secondary plot and it was somewhat boring to write, but has many tidbits that will later become very crucial in the main story. In the next chapter, we return to our regular program.**


	6. Chapter 6

A a big, fat blowfly buzzed in the corner of the ceiling, its meaty body shining like an emerald armor in the light that bled from the jarred door. It skittered along the walls preening calmly its large transparent wings. It was readying itself to launch into flight again, to produce more that insufferable noise. Those thin, leaf-like wings that could beat hundreds of times per second sounded deafening in the silence of the small hut.

The demon laid wide awake with its mouth dry and eyes bloodshot, observing the small insect that prayed on his rotting flesh. Its hand twitched and the fly was zipped airborne. It circled around the convalescent's bed until the youkai could bear it no longer.

The demon laboriously panted through its gritted teeth and spent much effort trying to claw its way out of the bed. Slowly, inch by inch, it managed to lug its way, dragging its emaciated body, next to the wall. It dug its claws deep into the wooden wall for support, attempting to hoist its body up.

The blowfly waited.

The demon, however, was in much too weak a state. Its quivering body came tumbling down after it had managed to get itself into an upright position and put some weight on its legs.

It heaved, sweat glistening on its face. Defeated.

Its fist slammed the wall in angry frustration. Where was that human wench? It grimaced of the sudden jolt of pain that at this point seemed to be carved into its rotting flesh. The demon's fingers absent-mindedly brushed its mouth. It still burned.

* * *

"Please, m'child, listen. This is futile. Leave the lad be, this'll be only causing you pain." An older priestess tried, yet again, to compel her younger apprentice to give up on her efforts to nurse the demon back into health.

Kagome, who was at the river gathering drinking and washing water for Inuyasha, shot her mentor an aggravated look as she washed some of her cleaning supplies in the stream.

"And what? Let nature take its course with him? Allow him to _starve_ to death?" Her hands angrily smacked the rags against the surface of the water as her heart pumped her anger to a peak. "I can't believe hearing something like this from you, Kaede. That is insufferably cruel."

Kaede knew her words to be harsh and were torn by the horrid insinuation of them, but she had no other way around it. She had already lived a similar situation.

"Kagome. I know it sounds terrible because that's whadit is." The older woman rubbed her tired face. "You forget that I've seen this already happen once. If my sister hadn't aided Onig-"

"Don't you even dare make that kind of comparison!" Kagome interrupted her mentor with a panicked shout.

"Inuyasha is _not_ a monster like Naraku!"

Kaede could only stand there, in knowing loss, and watch over the girl with fire in her belly. She could not convince a young heart with reason.

She prayed Kagome's words to be true.

* * *

All the villagers avoided going anywhere near Inuyasha's hut. The demon was only contemplated by that fact. The only human it tolerated at its proximity was the young priestess who came in to nurse it. So, for now the priestess was allowed live. It would wait until being healed back to full health. The girl might even prove out to be of other use later. That powerful aura around her had not gone unnoticed by the demon. In fact, the girl's holy powers were so potent that her presence was almost painful to be at.

The demon licked it lips thirstily. That wench hadn't come to him yet and it was already past noon. It could then hear someone approaching, but whoever the arriver was, it was not the priestess.

The one approaching moved much quicker and seemed... smaller. A child.

The steps slowed down as they drew closer. The kid tried to sneak to the door but an anxious scream stopped the little twerp from peeking through the doorway.

"Niko, get away from there!" A worried shout commanded. It probably belonged to the child's mother who was also running to Inuyasha's hut.

"Awk, maaaa-a!" The boy whined, sounding disappointed. "I just wanted to take a peek."

"What an insipid thing to even consider! Haven't I told you it's dangerous!" She scolded him. The demon heard the footsteps rustling some feet away from its hut, then a dull smack. The mother probably had caught up to its offspring and had given him a parental punishment on the head. A sharp yelp and shufling ensued as the mother was dragging the boy away.

"The hanyou is crazy. He nearly killed that poor woman, Niko. What were you thinking, you stupid, stupid boy! You nearly got yourself..." The voice of the mother and the son began to fade until they were nothing but unintelligible murmurs in the distance.

The demon digested the short exchange he had been privy to.

Hanyou? A half demon?

The demon scratched its claws against the floor, wincing at the pain in its side.

It made sense as to why he hadn't healed after all this time. He was, in fact, not a full demon. He had human blood in him, he grimaced. His blood was soiled. Pathetic!

What kind of demon would lower its self-worth to copulate with a human?

An image, a vague reverie, flashed behind his eyes. It was of a woman, human woman. She had an sorrowful expression, but she was beautiful and had kindness in her eyes.

The demon grabbed its head and began spasming. The images distorted, changed rapidly to new ones that blurred and mixed. He could hear voices from far away. But now they did not come from outside, but rather from inside his own head. He trashed on the floor wanting to scream, but his throat was so dry he could only produce weezing.

* * *

Kagome trekked her way back to Inuyasha's hut and noticed the door was ajar. Left unclosed by her as she had bolted out the previous night, she remembered and blushed. She fixed the sack on her shoulder and briefly mused if Inuyasha had thought about their... latest encounter.

She pushed the door completely open, expecting to see the recouping hanyou on his futon, but the bed was empty to her very shock.

"Inuyasha!" A terrified wail came out of her mouth involuntarily. For a brief horrifying moment she recounted possible reasons for his disappearance. Maybe a villager, another demon, someone, had come in and hurt the inu youkai. Maybe Inuyasha had had enough strength to crawl out on his own – had he gone after someone?

None of the frightening scenarios gladly never came into fruition as on a second glance she spotted the hanyou next to the hut wall, slumped on the floor.

"Inuyasha!" She worriedly hasted to his aid, this time sounding softer in her words even though she was still noticeably agitated.

"What are you doing out of bed? You are not well enough to... to..." The tail of her sentence escaped her as she looked into those red orbs of the demon. They held an emotion in them. Confusion. He also looked hurt and tired, which was given due to the circumstances, but he had been in this condition for a long time and had never let her in on his discomforts.

"Wa...ter..." He croaked, his voice a dry whisper.

Nearly all color disappeared from Kagome's face out of sheer disbelief. Had he just spoken!

"Of... Of course!" She stammered and immediately began to rummage through the sack she had dropped on the floor. Her floundering hands finally found a leather flask and she pulled it out shakily.

"Here, let me help you."

The demon shook its head.

"No." He groaned and weakly grabbed the flask. He wasn't a nursing doll, may as he be half a weakling. But he had more pride than her kind.

Kagome watched in awe as Inuyasha greedily drank the water, some of the contents of the flask spilling from the corners of his mouth, dripping down his neck and collar. She pulled out some cloth from her sack to dry his neck, but the demon pushed her hand away.

When he had finished with the flask, a harsh fit of coughs raked his body. He dropped the flask which collided with a soft thump on the floor. The demon leaned its waned body against the wall and sighed.

"Tell me..." He began with a quiet, shriveled voice "... what is all of this?"

Kagome tried to help him sit up more comfortably, but he once again refused help, pushing her hands away. He didn't want her weakling palms running over his body, he could not bear her touches.

"No." He reprimanded her and glowered at her angrily. "Don't." He took a deep breath and tried to cough to get rid of his hoarseness. "Only tell. Who am I? Why am I... injured?"

Kagome tried to get past her own hurt of being rejected for helping. But she was more overjoyed by the fact that he was finally talking, communicating with her. As she had suspected, his injuries had affected his memory. That is why he had been behaving so strange. Everything must be very confusing for him now.

She nodded slowly and sat next to the demon. Pulling her knees up against her chest and leaning against the wall. She began explaining everything to him.

* * *

After hours had passed, Kagome had explained the demon everything she knew, everything she remembered. All about Inuyasha's life, Naraku and how he had become the threat he was, the great battle and Inuyasha's injury along with everything that had led up to that moment.

The demon remained quiet for most of the duration of her story. Only interrupting her on few occasions for further elaborations or asking her for some more water. On the whole, the demon now had a pretty cohesive picture of everything. The only thing the human woman had not completely disclosed was the nature of their relationship. She had told him how they met and how they had battled alongside each other, how she had helped gather the shards of Shikon no Tama. But it was a detail of unimportance. He was curious, but didn't want her to know this, so he didn't ask.

With all his newly learned information, he wanted to be left alone. He begrudgingly allowed her to assist him back to his futon for some slight inspections of his wounds. When she had patched him up, she left for the night, leaving him with water, some food and a chamber pot. She promised to be back by next morning. Kagome stood by the door, looking at Inuyasha as she was making her exit and could not hide her joy from the world. She practically beamed as she gathered the hem of her kimono and exited.

Pointless. The demon thought of her happiness.

It began dissecting all the information the human had given earlier.

The Shikon no Tama was destroyed. A jewel that was capable of making a half demon into a full demon. But it had been a miko who made the jewel. Maybe this young powerful priestess held similar powers that could turn him into a full demon.

It only now realized that its fingers had been rubbing on its lips while thinking of the girl. The unexpected incidence of the kiss plagued the demon. Why had it affected him so? Why did that insignificant human… He growled and punched his fist weakly to his bed-sheet. It was that accursed human side of his that caused this inner turmoil. He could not afford such thing holding any control over him anymore. It had to be eliminated. The very thing that had been the downfall of the previous hanyou - a heart. Of course the girl needed to be eliminated. He could not afford to have her around affecting his ability to make decisions. But yet… The big chocolate eyes filled with so much happiness haunted him. That little pink mouth. Not that he could bear to admit it to himself, but the feeling… Had been pleasurable.

His heart began to beat faster with excitement and anger. She was a weakness, a disease! He'd be damned to be a fool and pity her. But. If he couldn't, or chose not, as he tried to assure himself, to kill her, he would make her help him. She was the path he needed to take to become a full fledged demon. Once he succeeded and needed not her services anymore, he'd dispose of her. Separate the final shackle of humanity from himself.

And since his power would be greater than anyone's before him, he would be suited to become the leader of all demons. He could surely accomplish what that weakling, human, had failed to do. The priestess was the key. She would help him. They, together, would succeed in what Kikyou and Onigumo had failed in.

Satisfied with the plan, the demon relaxed. While she'd find a way to make him a full demon, he could surely find other useful purposes for her. A hot shiver shook him lightly. The thought full of possibilities.


	7. Chapter 7

The next morning, the sky was murky and threatened to weep. Kagome was preparing breakfast and had been left alone with the demon. It didn't care for the company of anyone, Kagome seemingly the only exception, but that had been more or less the case even before. Most of the time, the demon appeared uninterested in her, but in her presence it was somewhat less tensed, though the atmosphere could hardly be described as comfortable.

She had boiled some slightly expired ramen noodles for the demon, Inuyasha's favorite, and Kagome hoped the familiar taste would bring about some of his lost memories. She hadn't been home for a long time to renew her food supplies – hence the noodles having surpassed their prime. Her mother knew that ever since the great battle, Kagome had chosen to live her life in the Feudal era since all her friends, her other family so to say, lived here. And even though Inuyasha could travel through the well, he could hardly be made accustomed to the modern times. Besides, she would take on demons over algebra any day, Kagome jokingly stated to her friends when she had argued her decision to stay.

She helped the demon sit up and offered him a warm bowl of broth and chicken noodles.

The demon had scarcely eaten anything after gaining consciousness, and the girl wished this serving would bring back his spirits.

"Take it slowly." She guided the demon as he raised the cup carefully to his lips.

The soup was thin and reservedly seasoned, so that his stomach would not act up. It tasted bland, the demon ruminated, but still took the offerings of the human girl. The taste of the food was a subsidiary matter in any regard, only thing that counted was getting his strength back. Any sustenance would do, no matter the taste.

After he had consumed the whole conservative serving, he asked for another bowl, and Kagome had her hopes up.

"Did you like it?" She asked, wishfully thinking that his taste palettes were regaining their memories as she poured some more of the pale orange soup into his cup.

The demon stared at her with an unmoved look.

"Not particularly. But sustenance is sustenance." He bluntly replied.

Kagome's chin dropped to her chest and she handed the cup to the demon. "Oh... It's just... It used to be your favorite."

The demon took another careful sip of the unusual soup.

"I have developed better taste since." He commented and even though the insult was rather aimed at the stock and not at her, Kagome couldn't help but suffer injury on the behalf of the ramen.

"There was nothing wrong with your taste before." She dryly remarked, almost wanting to snag the bowl of ramen out of his ingrate hands.

"You will find that many things about me have changed." The demon said and finished sucking in a long, slippery strand of noodle. It swallowed, wiping a drop of broth from the corner of its mouth. "Not just my _taste_." It snidely retorted, looking at Kagome with dark mirth in his eyes. He was obviously trying to make some sort of a statement about her.

"Well, I don't know about your _tastes_ , but your sense of _smell_ isn't what it used to be." She insinuated back at him, referring to his ungodly reek which didn't seem to bother him at all.

The stench was something Kagome had gotten used to, but the sickeningly sweet and pungent smell of rot was still uneasing. He had otherwise gotten better, all the bruises and smaller lacerations had cleanly vanished, but the persistent black gape by his side still refused to heal. It was the spot Naraku had used all his dying energy at. He had pierced Inuyasha, just barely missing his heart which must've been his aim, when Inuyasha had drawn the shattered stub of his Tessaiga and severed Naraku's thread to life.

Kagome closed her eyes and calmly breathed out. She shouldn't get aggravated with him. He was injured and suffered from amnesia. She should be glad that he had lived in the first place. Besides, Inuyasha waking up with pleasant manners would have been much more alarming than Inuyasha waking up as his rude self.

"I know you must be very hungry, but you have to take it slowly. Otherwise you'll end up throwing up." She instructed him and took away his bowl.

Something sinister flashed in the eyes of the demon.

"I did not assign you as my wet-nurse." It growled, vexed that his food had been taken away. He was a big boy and had much more durability and better grasp on his limitations than humans had on their own.

"I suppose you wanted to be left to rot and starve then?" She answered him, the anger of her words hardly hidden. The girl moved away from him to gather the cutlery and other supplies into a basket.

The demon would have rewarded her insolence with a good smack hadn't it been trying to preserve its energy. Only a fool would talk to a demon in such a way, insinuating that he was somehow _dependent_ on her help. She might have been close with the hanyou to nonchalantly offend him, but that would not go anymore.

"Keep your mouth." It hissed and curled its fingers into tight fists.

Kagome had never in her life been bullied silent by Inuyasha's idiotic remarks or threats, his feeble attempts usually just fueled her to hen-peck at him with twice the furor. But his foreign low-rumbling tone and intense gaze persuaded her to bite down to her tongue. His eyes weren't angry in the way Inuyasha often frustrated with her, looking mopey and irked. The demon looked zealously mad.

She averted her eyes and hugged her basket.

"I will be back later. We need to clean your wound properly." She said with a small voice which appeased the demon, calming it down.

Wench needed to learn her place.

* * *

Days of pathetic inertia were ill-suited for a powerful youkai lord who sought for battle and glory. Splendor and the excitement of the fight, his steel testing the strength of another, were as faraway a reverie as the touch of the firmament were to mortal grasps.

Sesshoumaru was a man of many a splendid traits and qualities. Regrettably, patience was not among them, which was an odious fault he shared with his lesser half-brother, courtesy of their father's hot blood.

The proud demon lord sat in the shadow of a great maple tree, watching as the leaves were tickled by the gentle summer breeze which had been turning colder by the day as the season was preparing to change.

He sat rigidly, his back straight and his chin held elevated by few degrees, taking his signature pose of noble air and regalness. The impression was only slightly ruined, or improved – depending from the viewers perspective, by the garland of flowers around his head. Now, he was not only draped by a flower crown but was accessorized by a matching flower necklace, bracelets and rings. And the demon lord suspected that he was about to receive a matching set of earrings soon.

He coughed importantly, the only way he knew how to cough.

"Rin, this is sufficient."

The girl addressed was a few feet away, marveling the idea of incorporating maple leaves with her creation and hardly paid attention to her keeper's complaints.

She held up a star-shaped leaf and twisted and turned it against the figure of Sesshoumaru, trying to figure out if it would be an overkill to maybe do a cape on him.

"Uhumn." She mumbled and picked up another leaf from the ground, one that was greener. Cold colors complimented Sesshoumaru the best.

The demon lord nimbly got on his feet and carefully removed the lilac garland from his head.

"We are departing." He announced and proceeded ridding himself of Rin's handiwork.

"Ah, Sesshoumaru-sama!" The girl scolded him as her hard work was neatly piled next to the foot of the tree. Much to her dismay, Sesshoumaru was stubborn and didn't appreciate her efforts to pretty him up. Not that he really needed it, but it was a pleasant past-time.

"Where are we going?" She chirped and tossed the leaves from her hands. They were scattered in the wind and twirled around her, evoking a small giggle out of her.

"I wish to inquire the progress upon my weapon."

Rin ran to her guardian and grabbed him by his kimono.

"But that's what you sent Jaken-sama to do!" She pouted. Weapons were boring. All it entailed was grown-ups talking, brooding and frowning about quality of metals, talks of fighting and everything altogether unpleasant.

"I much more wished we could go see Kagome! I'm sure you're worried about Inuyasha as well."

"Nonsense." Sesshoumaru replied. A little too quickly, Rin thought to herself and smirked.

Of course he was worried about his little brother. He came off cold, because the world they lived in was a harsh place, but Rin knew how warm and caring her guardian's heart was. It was a pity that he reserved all his affections for her eyes only. He would get along with everyone so much better if he didn't try to act so tough all the time. Besides, Kagome was such a nice lady, no-one hardly had a reason to act tough and mean around her. But inu youkais were a little stupid. Rin looked up at Sesshoumaru who was trying to look grumpy at her audacious suggestion that he was worried about his brother.

Okay, a lot stupid.

* * *

 **A/N: " _Bruh, bruh! We already at chap 7, where my smut at? Huh? I thought this was a KNH production and not your run-of-the-mill 'story driven' fanfic._ "**

 **Yes, yes, my dear reader. I know this is a much more story driven fanfic than any of my previous works, but the smuts are coming in... *glances at her bare wrist* NEXT CHAPTER!**

 **Also, my wonderful, awesome, inspiring readers/** **reviewers** **, I LOVE reading all your speculations about the story and where it's headed. Some of you pondered about the chronology of events. Yes, I'd say that Inuyasha has been recovering for maybe about two weeks~ now. So, the new moon** ** _will_ be a factor in later chapters. The events of the upcoming 3ish chapters will take place within only few days.**

 **I have pretty much scripted the story up until chapter 12. Most of the chapters are also written partly. (Chapter 8 is pretty much already written complete, so brace yourselves for frequent updates, for once, lol!) But if the story goes anything like I've envisioned, this will easily be a 30 chap story. I have a** **story-line** **and a structure, but I don't know exactly how many chapters they will span.**


	8. Chapter 8

She hated to admit it, but Kaede had been right. Inuyasha had lost more of his marbles in the final fight than Kagome had initially been willing to accept.

He was not only cold towards her, but seemed ominous - dangerous. And it wasn't like the other times he had turned fully demon either. This time he wasn't berserk, in an animalistic survival mode, no. He had retained his intellect and was actually the calmest and most calculating Kagome had ever witnessed him be.

Right now he was a stranger to her, but she could not let go of him. Inuyasha was still in there. What were enduring few insults if she could eventually get him back. She would continue to nurse him until he healed, and as he'd get better, his demon side would yield. He would come back to her once more.

* * *

Kagome dragged a heavy pail of water inside the hut. She had filled to the brim a wooden tub she had managed to haul inside. Prior to fetching the water, she had laid out other bathing supplies such as cloths, soap and a sponge on the hut floor. Breathing heavily after her laborious efforts, she sat down beside the demon and wiped her forehead with the sleeve of her yukata. Moist wild strands of her dark locks stuck to her cheek. "There we go, that should be more than enough for you to get cleaned up with."

Kagome gently helped him into a sitting position. "I'll help you take off your bandages." When she was reaching for his shirt, his hand clasped on hers stopping her from proceeding. Kagome looked at him questioningly and he released her hand, his claws brushing the back of her hand. "I want you to bathe before me." He calmly yet suddenly commanded, his stoic tone verifying that it wasn't a request.

Kagome flushed and was not sure how to take in his wish.

"W-what!" She stuttered and cuddled her hand against her chest in an unconscious defence reflex. "There is no way that I will… do such… with you in the room." Her voice shrunk as she hesitantly concluded her sentence.

The demon calmly looked at her and would have probably shrugged if it was capable of human gestures. "You've seen me undress on many occasions. It feels uncomfortable being exposed in such a way. Unless you do so first."

Kagome stared at him in a dumbfounded way in amaze of his crass logic, shooting him an irritated glare. She couldn't imagine the demon being embarrassed about his nakedness, but just as skeptic she was of the alternative that he simply wanted to see her naked to get off by it. And there was always that slight chance of him chopping off her head if she didn't comply. As she pondered the situation, the demon pointed out that the water would eventually cool down.

Kagome sighed in frustration. If this was any ordinary situation, she'd simply walk out and tell him to wash by himself, but she really needed to properly clean him - firstly because his infection would otherwise never heal and secondly because the reek made her eyes water.

She supposed that the demon simply tried to undermine her power over his weakened state by placing her in such compromising and embarrassing situation. That way he wouldn't feel weak under her care if he first humiliated her.

"Fine." She murmured quietly, embarrassingly easily losing every counter argument she had had for herself.

Turning her back at the demon, her hand hovered on her midwaist, shaking slightly. She first began untying her obi. She would do his bidding - this time. Before she could finish ridding herself of the first item of clothing, a hoarse voice asked her to turn. Kagome could feel anger broiling inside and felt like yelling at the demon for going too far with the attempt to make her submit to his whims, but when she faced him, his eyes held such sternness that she felt best to keep quiet. He would see her naked whether she was facing him or not. The humiliation could not be escaped even though she would have wished it to be lessened.

Thankfully he didn't ask her to look him into the eyes. She felt incredibly embarrassed and would have been unable to look at him even if her life depended on it. The crimson obi fell down. Next she carefully unfolded the many plies of her garment, taking extra care in how her fingers worked on the fabric. Not because she wanted to prolong the situation, per say, but more hoping that he would be satiated and ask her to stop before she could finish. Kagome pondered how she must have looked in his eyes in that moment. Blushing, adverting her eyes, biting her bottom lip like the bashful virgin she was as the clothes glided down her body. Or more like a trembling object of ridicule.

All that remained were her undergarments. A brasserie and panties. A matching pair of light blue, nothing that could be described as erotic, but they were chosen for comfort and dexterity anyway. She was reluctant to move her hands behind her back to unclasp her bra. Her face burned of anger and humiliation, she held her gaze strictly on the wall left side of Inuyasha.

"Isn't this enough already?" She asked with a shivering voice.

"All of it." He responded after a small pause. His voice sounded strangled and hoarse, but Kagome still didn't have enough nerves to look at him even though she was curious to see what kind of expression he had behind that voice of his.

She shifted her weight from one foot to the other, rubbing her shoulders uncomfortably. She wasn't feeling cold. On the contrary. The more she had unrobed, the hotter she seemed to have gotten. The girl could feel her blush descending from the top of her head all the way down to her chest.

She finally admitted defeat and slowly brought her hands behind her back. Few tugs before she felt her brasserie loosening around her chest. The straps slipped down her shoulders and only her hand kept the chest piece in place, she was literally hugging to the remains of her modesty.

' _Oh god_...' She prayed in her mind and let the garment drop with a soft thump on the floor. She didn't try to cover herself with her hands. He no doubt wanted her humiliation to be complete and she was there giving him all for the price of admission.

Finally she bent over and pulled down the very last piece of her chastity.

There she stood, under the devouring stare of the beast. She finally dared to take a peek of his face. The demons eyes were dark and hooded by something that ran deep as he stared at her nakedness unabashedly. Kagome felt something horribly hot throb inside herself.

"You may help me undress now" The demon spoke and shook her out of her horrid state of confusement.

The girl shakily walked over to the demon as if compelled by the devil, without her own will.

She knelt down next to him and quickly began to undress him. It had to be done efficiently, feelessly. Like a medical procedure. There was nothing else to it, even if the demon wanted to amuse himself with something else.

When she had undressed his upper half, she contemplated whether she should undress him completely before advancing to remove his bandages or should she take the bandages off first?

Her gaze brushed with his hot, deep, crimson eyes. He looked hungry in a way that made Kagome flush flesh deep. The corners of his mouth curled into an inkling of a smile, an arrogant, complacent grin as he leaned back on his arms and pulled his shoulders down, making his chest appear wider.

He was taunting her. And not failing at the attempt.

Kagome quickly grabbed a small knife from her small pouch of medical tools that she had placed next to his futon. She drew the knife through his bandages, being precise and quick with her hands even though everything else in her shook.

"I'm sorry, this will hurt." She apologized and began to peel the bandage off his chest. The cloth was blackened by his blood and crustied up as the blood had dried on it. The smaller gashes had healed up nicely, having only left very faint scars, but the deeper wound was rotting away. The festering flesh was discharging yellow puss. Intestinal fluids had seeped out from the gaping hole and hardened on his skin. The sight was almost as revolting as the stench. Kagome removed the last of his bandages and placed them in a neat pile on the floor.

The reason it took so long for his wounds to heal was probably because, after all, he was not a full demon, the girl though about the same conclusion the demon had come to earlier. And his wound was inflicted by dark powers which must've been why it was rotting the way it was.

When the earlier strange charge had passed, Kagome felt sober enough to help the demon stand up and strip his pants down. Though she was strict in focusing her attention to the ceiling as his lower garments were removed.

She held him up by his good side and they limped to the tub. He secured his steps by grabbing onto Kagome's waist. His claws mere inches away from her... every imaginable delicate place.

When they made their way to the tub, Kagome helped him descend into the water, still keeping her chaste eyes firmly on the ceiling until everything questionable had been submerged.

She sighed and sat on the floor next to the demon's tub.

"So, I'll leave you with the cleaning supplies and I'll come back after you're finished with your bath." The girl explained while waving a sponge and a bar of soap in her hands.

"No." He simply replied and cocked his head, gliding his eyes over her body in a criticizing manner.

"I said you'll bathe before me."

The small hair on her neck and arms stood up with anger. She bit down to her lip, almost wanting to draw her own blood. That had been the original agreement, but she had hoped he'd already grown bored of her mortification.

"What are you waiting for?" A low inquisition rumbled in the air as the demon made no gesture to start bathing.

She scooted closer to the tub and after a moment of hesitation, took the sponge, holding it so tightly in her hands, her knuckles went white. After submerging it into the bath water, she quickly pulled it out and raised it to her body, squeezing the liquid out against her shoulder. Trails of water ventured down her back, chest, belly, all the way to her thighs. After drenching herself, she proceeded on applying the soap. She held the tablet of soap on her hand and began making small circles with it. Foam began to form on her body, covering her chest and arms in dense clusters of bubbles.

Since the sponge felt more like a cheese grater, she didn't feel like scrubbing down too hard on her skin. She maneuvered it softly along her skin, very conscious and bothered by the eyes that followed every movement of her hands.

After sufficiently cleaning herself, Kagome reached for the sponge again. This time, first she watered him with the soaked sponge and then rubbed his skin gently with the piece of soap. "This will probably sting a little." She whispered and moved the soap over the wound under his chest. He didn't react, but she knew that it most likely burned intensely.

His skin felt smooth and strained under her fingers. After him having lost so much weight, she could distinctly see the muscles beneath the skin. Especially his abdomen was incredibly well defined and his skin felt hot under her hands. Focusing on his stomach for little more than necessary, she consumed his hard body with her touch. But it felt wrong. She should not look at him like _that_. He was still sick.

Kagome was well aware that his hungry gaze followed her every action, moved along her every curve. Whatever was building up inside her was making her feel restless.

She was self-conscious, because she knew the demon could hear the fastened beat of her heart. Sense whatever she was feeling. Kagome scolded herself for the sensations that swept her body in waves. She made a mockery of herself in front of him, just as he had indented. Her eyes trailed downwards on his trunk. Beneath those sculpted muscles began a trail of silver. A glimpse of something forbidden.

She handed out the sponge to him, "Here, you can clean your own privates by yourself. You surely can manage that much."

The demon looked at her and she saw, or at least imagined having seen, a tint of amusement in his eyes. He idly reached for the sponge and made sure to graze her hand with his touch just little more than necessarily. Kagome swiftly pulled her hand away like she had been given an electric shock.

* * *

Succeeding their bath, Kagome was dressed up and finishing up bandaging the demon. She reached for the knife to cut out the excess from the cloth. The young woman was happy that his worst wound was not bleeding much anymore and all in all look healthier in the color of the discharge. Inuyasha calmly watched her work with a look on his face that Kagome could only describe as bored.

However, his shoulder was feeling awful itchy and he reached to scratch it. Kagome tried to slap his hand away, because she didn't want him irritating the scarred sensitive skin there, but his demon reflexes caught her hand mid air. Kagome looked at Inuyasha's eyes and blushed. She tried to pull her hand back, but the demon was holding her firmly in place. He tilted his head curiously at the ruddy tint on her cheeks, "Are you fearing or rather hoping that I will take you?"

Kagome tore her hand from his grip and stared at him with aghast, "Wha-what did you say?"

The demon laughed a joyless, foreign laugh and replied, "I could smell it on you earlier. The heat. You were reeking of it as we bathed. But you seem to be apprehensive being touched by me. You fear you won't be able to control your urges?" Inuyasha's smile widened into a predatorial grin, "I must admit that your smell wasn't completely ineffective. I even had troubles containing myself. After all, your body does please me and I do believe fucking you would-"

"Shut up!" Kagome shouted and stood up. She halted to take a deep breath and continued with a low tone, her voice on the verge of breaking, "I'd never want you. _You_ are not the man I love."

The demon seemed genuinely amused and he nonchalantly cocked his head, "Ah, you may not love me, but you certainly do yearn this body." It teased her and made sure to sweep her whole body with his heated, famished gaze, leaving a trail of burn in its wake.

"I was not planning on rutting you until later, but if you continue to lure me, I might have to take you sooner than what I initially intended."

Kagome's whole body trembled with anger, she was horrified by his words. Never had he talked to her in such a demeaning and offensive way.

"I'd never give myself to an animal like you."

Her eyes burned but she defiantly continued to stare him down. Before she lost the last of her remaining composure, she left. Slamming close the fusuma behind her.

Kagome hurried out the house and walked all the way up the laundress' path to the river nearby. There she slumped to her knees on the grass and allowed the tears to flow down her face. God forgive her, but she had… She had wanted him.

* * *

 **A/N: Say what now? You would not call that smut? Hey, I'm just warming up! *cracks knuckles***

 **As for Inuyasha**  
 **C:\cmd initiate full deuche mode**

 **And SPOILERS for chapter 9**

 **" _It is the new moon tonight. After this day I will never have to see you again._ "**

 **Dun dun duuuuuun.**


	9. Chapter 9

She ached in the most horrendous way. This was of unfamiliar territory to her. Why did that demon affect her so, she pondered and submerged her body into the dark water.

The dusk had fallen before the young priestess had composed herself enough to maintain her regular duties. She washed her linens, prepared some supper, studied the codes of the priestess' with Kaede and now she finally retired for the day, offering her waned body some solace in the cooling stream of the river. She washed her hair and body, taking great comfort from her favorite element – the water.

It was wild and unpredictable, but also strong and calming. It was silent but possessed the power to mold earth to its will. It paved a path to wherever it desired. A strength and resolve Kagome longed for.

She dived beneath the crystal-clear surface and danced with the currents underneath. They carried her as they willed and she did not fight them, allowing herself to be taken further along the bank.

When she finally surfaced, she gasped for air and tossed her wet curls behind her back. An arch of droplets cascaded around her.

She gazed at the sleeping sky, the moon only a sliver of silver against the black, starless canvas.

She lulled herself back unto the wet mass, floating on the stream.

The young woman closed her eyes and enjoyed the silence as her head was half-way submerged.

She could only hear the strong hum of the river around her. Strong and vibrant, but docile.

Behind her closed eyes she could see his body. So hard, yielding to her touch. She was unable to exile the imagery from her mind's eye. So supple, strained. Tempting. That forbidden engorged hardness begging for her fall.

Kagome bit her lip and slipped her hand between her legs. In the turmoil of the stream no-one heard her sigh.

* * *

*_-'-*_*_

* * *

The demon flashed its eyes open, heaving and sweating from yet another nightmare. The memories of his unconscious rest slipped from his grasp like mercury, no matter how hard it tried to hold unto them. He had dreamed about... He panted and shook his head restlessly. The demon could not remember. But the dreams, they had felt so real. Like he had been there. Where was it?

A tree? An embrace? Insects gathering souls, a woman. A dark man.

He grabbed his head as much in anguish as in frustration. He wanted to remember, but it hurt.

The demon closed its eyes and tried to calm its breathing.

Kagome.

The human girl entered the hut, holding a small weaved basket that smelled a mixture of sweet, sour and earthy. She hadn't come to him for almost a day, still feeling overcome by their last exchange. But she could not leave her ward completely unattended since he wasn't able to provide for himself yet. So she tried to defeat the unsettling discomfort of being near the half-demon.

"Are you alright?" She asked, catching him at the most inopportune moment.

The demon turned its head away, feeling embarrassed. "It's nothing." It scoffed proudly.

Kagome picked up her hem as she walked over the threshold, hoisting the basket against her hip. She slipped a strand of hair behind her ear.

"I brought you some food." She said while settling down next to the demon's futon. If he did want to talk about whatever bothered him it was of no concern to her.

The demon carefully glanced at the basket, noticing there were wineberries, kyohos, persimmons and apples. Neatly sliced and peeled in colors of dark, lavish purple to rich and vibrant monarch.

The demon was not feeling well, so it did not sit up. Even though most of its wounds were already healed, it had begun to feel worse for wear by each passing day.

"Let me help you." The woman gently said and slipped her hand behind its head and offered a slice of apple to its lips.

The demon's stomach almost turned with the thought of food, but sustenance was mandatory. It cracked its lips and the woman carefully slipped the small piece into its mouth.

It tasted bitter and had little sweetness to speak of, a fruit that was picked before it was fully ripe. The apples were not in their prime season yet. But there was a trace of something intriguing mixed with the sour taste of the apple.

It opened its mouth more now and she placed another fleshy bit of fruit into the gaping mouth. Brushing the demon's lips feather lightly.

The taste of that charming intrigue grew more intense.

The demon grabbed her wrist and pulled her fingers into its mouth. Her slender, white digits twirled around its tongue, mixed with the juices of the fruit. He closed his eyes and breathed in deeply, savoring her taste. A terrible, profound want exploded from his mouth and traveled down his throat to his stomach, settling into a knot there. He sucked her fingers forcefully.

"Wha-" She exclaimed and tried to yank her hand away, but his grip didn't falter the slightest. The demon raised from its bedding, his tussled yukata slipping down on his shoulders, baring his eloquent collarbones. His grip on her still unbending like steel.

"Stop...!" Kagome pleaded and tried to back away from him. But he was not a sickly, ill man now. The fingers around her wrist felt incredibly strong, rejuvenated. He allowed her to move back, but his body followed still clinging to their contact. He opened his eyes and they were unspeakably hungry.

Her lips parted. A trembling sigh escaped her own mouth.

He released her. His lips twisted to a wicked smile.

"I can taste your release on you."

Kagome's eyes widened with horror and she backed away from him with such haste, she accidentally knocked the basket of fruits over with her foot. Guilt churned in the pit of her belly, but his unapologetic lustful and husky words made her lightheaded.

He nimbly twirled up on his futon and began to crawl on his hands and knees towards Kagome.

"Were you thinking about him or me when you touched yourself?" It grinned impishly.

She winced involuntarily.

"So..." He murmured with a low voice, dragging out the vowel. And in a soundless swoosh, he was over her.

"... It was me." He growled next to her ear, a puff of hot, humid, air hitting her neck.

She shut her eyes tightly closed and turned her head away. It wasn't true, she claimed in her mind and yet, her cheeks burned fiercely. She would never want a monster such as him.

He pushed her down, his yukata slipping further down. He didn't feel sick or weak, he could not feel the gnawing pain of his wound anymore. He overcame her and her eyes descended on the level of his chest as he shepherded her hands together and pinned them above her head. His pectoral muscles moved and strained beneath his skin when his hands maneuvered above her.

Kagome bit her lip. His body radiated intolerable heat.

The demon made a low, guttural sound deep in his throat and launched its mouth on her neck.

The woman gasped and tried to squirm away from him. She wanted none of his loathsome touches.

"Nnno...o." Kagome whimpered brokenly, but he only growled more possessively and lapped his tongue against her skin. His tongue was so slick.

"Stop it." She demanded with a mediocre resolute, pushing her shoulder against his bare chest. It was impossibly hard and unbudging.

He changed his attention to the other side of her neck, tentatively dragging his fangs along her pulse.

"I won't take you by force, if you are concerned about that." He murmured and let out a dark laughter.

"Where's the fun in that." The man spoke in a taunting whisper.

The young woman pushed back harder, grunting with effort. She wasn't a toy of his, a doll to busy himself with. Her Inuyasha would never act with such vile. She hated this... thing that had woken in Inuyasha's place. Loathed this creature that was a distorted, ill-representation of the man she loved.

"Get angry." He urged her, almost giggling.

He sucked her neck vigorously and pressed his body down.

"I want you to _beg_."

She jerked her head violently and stared murder at him.

"I would _never_ beg for anything from _you_." She hissed and nearly spat at him.

Suddenly, he released her arms and flashed a smile that seethed wickedness.

"Well then, I'll just have to _make_ you."

She gasped and dug her fingers into his shoulders.

He circled his finger against her panties, his hand just magically appearing beneath her kimono, his razor-sharp claw grazing the millimeter thin fabric.

"No!" She yelped. His touch was too close, impossibly too close.

"Your undergarments..." The demon recounted, squeezing his eyes shut in concentration. Almost wanting to ask what that offending garment was called until he remembered.

"Panties." He recalled.

"They are soaked." He whispered to the juncture of her neck, rubbing his fingertips together, marveling the sticky residue on the surface of his skin.

She could not take the humiliation and the betrayal of her body. Why did his hands had to feel so good? Her thighs quivered. No. She tossed her head back. His knuckles brushed a cluster of nerves above her entrance. She wanted him to stop.

"I remember." The demon quietly began recounting a memory. A dream that had haunted it for weeks.

"I remember how you used to ride on my back, your _panties_ grinding against my back." He whispered and hissed, the memory alone making him harden painfully.

"I remember wanting to fuck you. I wanted to take you somewhere out of the sight of the others. A cave, a tree. Didn't matter. I wanted to take you there and fuck you broken. But _he_ always stopped me." The demon growled and ground his hips into hers. Kagome flashed her eyes open, unaware she had kept them closed.

"Even if he ran the front, _I_ was always there. Underneath." An ominous revelation the demon uttered aloud.

"You could not _possibly_ understand how much effort he has spent trying to restrain me."

No, Kagome couldn't. All this time she thought she had known Inuyasha, his demonic side and all. But obviously she didn't understand his inner workings, not if these were the things he had thought about her. His desires... Her thoughts were cut sharply when his lips sought for hers, and softly claimed them. Her first kiss. Her first real kiss where her partner was not mentally absent. He pegged her lips apart and conquered her mouth with passion.

Her eyes fluttered half-closed and her fingers relaxed on his shoulders. The one kissing her was not the demon, it was Inuyasha. The demon could never be that gentle and adoring.

She cried into his mouth when his thumb nestled against her clitoris. He smiled into their kiss and effortlessly ripped her panties away. Cold air hit her tender spots. Or rather, the air was perhaps not cold, she was just that heated.

He remained his ministrations and tilted his head to gain a better access to her mouth. She swooned and her body reflectively buckled into his hand. He had made her greedy for a taste of something she had sampled for the first time. Whatever he was doing to her, it felt vastly better than whatever she had managed to evoke with her own hands.

"H-how... How do you know how to touch my body like that?" She gasped once he broke the bond of their lips.

He tore her kimono open with less than tender patience, conjuring trembles and goosebumps along her body.

"Because it's mine." He growled, attacking her with thousand hands and mouths. Her body arched beneath him and all of that arch was touched by him.

It was a spell she was under. He was like magic. Dark magic.

He backed away from her, crawling still on his hands and knees, stopping when his face was leveled with her hips.

She had a vague idea what he was up to, but she was too dazed to stop him. All the nerves in her body screamed a white inferno when his mouth finally landed on her vulva. His serpent tongue teasing that little bead of pleasure all too aware of how it affected her.

She let out a shattered cry. It was like a child tossing a match into a pool of gasoline and being completely unprepared for the sea of flames that would come alive. She could not have imagined a heat so intense. She was so close.

And he pulled his mouth away from her.

"Already?" He teased. Being embarrassingly tuned to her body's responses.

Kagome whimpered, but the demon let her body cool down just enough she would not immediately climax when he resumed pleasuring her with his lips and tongue.

She spun in a vortex of indefinable pleasure, the demon sucking and flicking that small fleshy nub as if he had done so hundreds of times before with acute precision.

The woman grabbed his head, clamping her thighs tightly against each side of his head. She had been subjected to a most divine torture she hardly understood. But her mortal strength was nothing compared to his youkai power. He easily moved his head between her squeezing legs and lowered his mouth an inch below, delving his tongue inside her.

It was too much. He gave her a subtle tempt for a something larger inside her. Her disloyal and lousy body craved for a deeper penetration. She wanted to beg.

God forbid her, she wanted so much to beg for fulfillment, a relief.

"Please." She whispered so quietly she couldn't even hear herself speak.

The demon smirked with satisfaction and finally released her with a smack. Her body jumped.

He rose to his knees and shed himself of his yukata, revealing a landscape of taunt, hard muscles as the clothes fell off him.

Kagome swallowed with effort, scrambled up, not trying to pull close the clothes the demon had torn open.

She crawled to him, gliding her hands to his chest, timidly glancing a quick look at his awaiting hardness. It was darker than the rest of his pale skin, veined and twitched at her gaze. She almost swallowed her whole tongue at his impossible size. She had seen it before. Or some unplanned, bashful glimpses of it. But to her memory it had been nothing like _that_ before.

Kagome wrapped her arms around his neck, pushed her body into his and tilted his head down for a kiss.

She could taste the residue of her body on him.

The human woman pushed the demon down unto his back against the floor. He complied curiously, not expecting her to be so proactive, but after bringing her into cumming half a dozen time, he could not blame her. And he was not one to complain.

Her petite body laid on top of his and he positioned their lower halves in such alignment it would be easy for her to slip his member inside her.

When Kagome felt his hardness rubbing her slickened petals, she blushed and muffled a moan into a bite over her knuckles. Feeling him so close drove her mad. Her hips moved on their own accord along the length of his shaft, massaging his cock with her wetness.

The demon moaned and stilled her hips in their place.

"Enough teasing, woman." He commanded. "Give yourself to me now." The demon barked.

There was a hint of something dark in Kagome's eyes that the demon mistook for lust. As much as she had succumbed to her desire, she had not lost all of her reason. She toyed with the rosary around his neck, placing his hands under the beaded necklace.

"Osuwari." She whispered.

Something impossibly heavy, like an invisible chain, bound him immobile against the floor. He was unable to move his hands.

"What-" He struggled to speak.

Kagome jumped off his body and quickly pulled her kimono close, running her fingers through her hair in an attempt to subdue any wild strands.

"What the fuck is this?!" The demon angrily jeered. It tried to trash and twist, but that magnificent force was unrelenting.

"Release me at once!" He barked and gritted his teeth.

Kagome shook her head, trying to still the quake in her knees.

"You will be sorry for this..." He threatened and slanted his eyes. "You can forget me being gentle with you."

"Osuwari!" Kagome commanded this time, louder.

The pressure around the demon's neck and wrists grew heavier.

It managed to wheeze under the spell.

"Bitch."

Kagome only smirked.

"It is the new moon tonight. After this day I will never have to see you again."

The demon didn't understand the celestial significance, but promised to itself that the moment the spell relented, it would claim her – with force.

* * *

 _A/N: I know the pronouns in reference to Inuyasha differ from sentence to sentence. It's not sloppy writing (*cough*) but rather it actually has a meaning to it. Inuyasha is reduced to a beast. Hence I like to call his demon alter ego "it". But he himself thinks of himself as "him". (Whoa. How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?)_

 _So, depending if I'm writing from Inuyasha's/Kagome's POV or from an omnipresent author's POV, it's either it or him._

 _EDIT: I had to tweak this chapter, since in the original version I messed up with the times of the day, duh!_


	10. Chapter 10

Rin pranced along like a small spring hare, while Sesshoumaru sluggishly tailgated her. The twosome had been traveling for a couple of days after Jaken had separated from their group. Currently, they were headed towards Kaede's village.

It was not in accordance with his plans to stop by and visit his brother, the demon lord had more pressing matters regarding the production of his weapon, but Rin had insisted upon it. He would die a gruesome death before admitting this, even to himself, but he was unable to resist her requests.

He watched over her as the little girl joyously waved her hand through a cluster of dandelions that dispersed in white fluffy tufts.

She awed him in so many ways. In how such small things she found pleasure in, her perseverance in optimism when everyone else would have given up. And many had given up on _him_. Even the great demon lord himself had convinced himself that sentimentalism was for fools. In his heart, for the longest time, there did not exist a corner for love, compassion or any other needless emotions. Only useless weaklings ran for their nurses for hugs and kisses at adversity.

But that mentality had changed when that little, scrawny human being, despite her fear, had come to him, willingly, and offered him food. Even after he had refused and ignored her, she persisted. She hadn't given up on him when by all counts of reason, she should have.

It was all the way back then when his heart had fluttered beneath his chest. It also terrified him. To have that iron gate to his heart ajarred. All sorts of new feelings followed in her little footsteps. They crept in live thieves in the night, soundlessly, and claimed hold of everything in his heart.

The year he had spent with her hand changed him more than centuries traveling the earth and other realms alone had.

The power she had over him was vastly superior to any power he had in himself. So naturally, every request uttered with the unaware bat of those eyelashes of hers, he was at her command. It irked him to no avail, but his grumpy mutiny died at the sight of her happiness.

"Sesshoumaru-sama, look!" The little girl chirped and hopped on her tiptoes. "I can see the lumber's hut, we're almost there!" She giggled and the steps that had grown weary over the past day suddenly were envigored and gave haste.

But something was amiss.

"Rin. Halt." Sesshoumaru commanded as his ears twitched. Where there should have been dull murmurs of the people talking and children laughing outside, there was only distant echoes of despair and crying.

The demon lord pulled his young protégé behind his back as they continued to proceed to the village. The lands were still distraught by Naraku's death as many clans of demons and humans alike fought for new territories. Even though none had been foolish enough to contest Sesshoumaru's station, it was only a matter of time before the henchmen of Naraku would recoup under new lords and be stupid enough to challenge him. Most demons knew that Kaede's village was under special protection from Sesshoumaru-sama since Rin spent much of her time there.

They walked past first of the human dwellings at the outskirt of the village. But there were no farmers outside working in the fields, no women carrying firewood for supper, no misbehaving children running amok.

Rin sensed something was off, as well.

"Where is everyone, Sesshoumaru-sama?"

The demon lord didn't reply, only made sure his temporary katana was easily accessible underneath his yukata. Every step they drew closer to the village, a scent of iron began to tint the air.

When they finally arrived, Rin was able to hear blood-chilling cries and moaning coming from the center of the village. People were gathered around a wooden table, an altar made of _hinoki_ wood, and a person who laid on the table, covered by a crimson-tainted woven mat of bamboo. Spread across the ground laid several other cadavers, all hidden from the eyes of the living. Some people wept in anguish where other bellowed in anger.

The reek of life blood was so thick, even Rin could smell it. The earth was covered by it.

"What happened here?" Rin asked her lord, the childlike chime gone from her voice.

But her liege was as uninformed as was he. Sesshoumaru had remarked walking past earlier houses that they had been trashed with claw-marks running along the walls. It was the work of a powerful demon, but who?

Some of the people took notice that the demon lord had arrived among them, briefly stopping their wailing and scooting away from him, gathering their children tightly into their arms – angry and scared of his presence.

One woman further from the rest of the crowd stood still. Seemingly not discerned about all the havoc around her. Her shoulders hung low giving her posture a small and defeated appearance. Her raven black hair was in a tussled mess.

Sesshoumaru nudged Rin in the direction of the woman and they approached her from the side.

When Rin recognized the woman, she had the urge to call out her name as they walked closer, as she always greeted her with such glee, but the miserable visage stifled her name on her lips. What could Rin say? What could she even begin to ask of the woman that hardly even resembled the lively form she had been at their last parting?

The human-demon pair halted few steps away from the woman. When they could see her face, they saw that half of her face covered in blood. Her right eye was swelling close, bruises starting to form on her jaw, forehead and cheekbone. Blood tainted the collar of her otherwise unspoiled white priestess garments.

But to Sesshoumaru, something else, thankfully invisible to Rin, gave him greater alarm.

He could smell her maiden blood that was hidden underneath the pristine white. Tangled with the scent of her virgin blood, the unrelenting scent of his own brother.

Kagome slowly turned her head to the demon lord and his small companion. Her eyes looked like they saw nothing, but her small, trembling voice whispered out with such grave hurt and regret, it would have broken the heart of a stone statue.

"Sesshoumaru."

A crimson tear rolled down her maimed face.


End file.
